The Understory
by Elizabeth Leiknes
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Pub Date Jun 01 2012 | Archive Date Oct 11 2012
Description
Story Easton knows the first line of every book, but never the last.
She never cries, but she fakes it beautifully.
And at night, she escapes from the failure of her own life by breaking into the homes of others, and feeling, for a short while, like a different, better person.
But one night, as an uninvited guest in someone's empty room, she discovers a story sadder than her own: a boy named Cooper Payne, whose dream of visiting the Amazon rainforest and discovering the moonflower from his favorite book, Once Upon a Moonflower, died alongside his father.
For reasons even she doesn't entirely understand, Story decides that she will help Cooper and his mother. She will make his dream come true.
When the decision is made, the lives of other broken people start to come together: Hans Turner, the door-making magician who can't shut the door on his past; Martin Baxter, the author of Cooper's beloved book, who wrote it with the daughter he misses every day; and Claire Payne, Cooper's mother, struggling to keep her son sheltered from the anger that threatens to consume her.
The Understory is a magical, moving, funny, and poignant story of failure and success; of falling apart and rebuilding; and of coincidences that never really are. Part comedy, part drama, and part fairy tale, Elizabeth Leiknes's second novel is a wonder you won't soon forget.
Advance Praise
KIRKUS REVIEWS "Goofy and breezy, this debut has a pleasingly flawed heroine and feels like it was as much fun to write as it is to read. Eccentric, Faustian take on chick-lit." BOOKLIST "Leiknes' quirky characters and off-beat style make for a fun read; the popularity of TV shows like Pushing Daisies and Reaper guarantees an audience for this black comedy." JANE GREEN, AUTHOR OF SUCH INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERS AS STRAIGHT TALKING, TO HAVE AND TO HOLD, AND JEMIMA J., AND OFTEN REGARDED AS ONE OF CHICK-LIT'S PIONEERS "I receive an enormous number of first novels, and rarely give blurbs, but I finished The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns yesterday, and am delighted that Bancroft Press decided to take a chance on Ms. Leiknes-she deserves it. She not only came up with a great premise for a story, but her novel is quirky and fun, and main character Lucy Burns herself is devilish and likeable. The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns is a quick and easy read, and one I enthusiastically recommend." DEAR AUTHOR ROMANCE REVIEWS "I know that whenever I'm struggling in a review to adequately convey how smart and well-written a book is, it's a winner. I really hope that anyone looking for a witty, literate, wonderfully entertaining read will choose this . . . quirky, intelligent, clever ode to everything from Faust to Walt Disney to the Native American trickster tradition to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." BOOK SMUGGLERS, REVIEWING ROMANCE AND SF SINCE 2008 "Though general fiction is not something I usually read, I am SO glad I did . . . I loved Lucy and I loved the clever writing. The most impressive thing is how at only 167 pages, the book is so full of nuances and depth. There are no wasted words, no info dump, and the author cleverly relies on the reader to catch the deep and hidden meanings of her work. It is one of those books that require attention and a certain rapport between the reader and the book. If there is detachment, there will be no enjoyment, and for you to truly, really enjoy this story, there's gotta be a certain degree of involvement. Mine occurred in those moments when I read about her relationship with her sister (which happen in short flashbacks that permeate the story)-my sister is the person I love most in the world, but she's also the person I 'hated' the most when I was a child, and I completely related to Lucy every step of her way. The thing is: the more you give, the more you will take from this book. This is a story that is not for everybody; even though this is a tale about Heaven and Hell, the lines of Good vs. Evil are not as clear as many, I am sure, would like. You will not finish reading the book with a final 'and the moral of the story is,' nor will the climax be full of the answers you might need, but you may well finish it as I did: with a huge smile on your face and tears falling from your eyes . . . I guess the best possible compliment I could give to this book is the fact that as I read it, I kept thinking of the wonderful and weird stories in Neil Gaiman's Smoke and Mirrors. Since he is my favourite author, that says a lot. Verdict: It made me laugh and it made me cry. The writing is clever and I can't wait to read more from this author. Rating: 8/8 Excellent."
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781610880497 |
| PRICE | $21.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 254 |
